Born in 1973 in Blantyre, Malawi, Billie Zangewa lives and works in Johannesburg, South Africa

Billie Zangewa was born to a South African mother and Malawian father. She was raised in Gaborone, Botswana; and educated there, as well as in Malawi. Later Zangewa relocated to South Africa to complete her fine arts degree at Rhodes University in Grahamstown. Zangewa’s studies in printmaking allowed her to explore various techniques and materials, subsequently initiating her passion for working with rich surfaces and textiles, with a particular love for silk. Zangewa arises as a triumphant African woman, conscious of her roots and altogether in touch with her environment. Her intimate universes meet the public realm through her original silk tapestries, each with their own coherent narrative and luminous aura. The cut silk collages and cotton embroidery offer a rich medium with precious textures and a sensitive palette, feminine but never quaint.